Two of my neighbors bought pianos for $200 and $400 respectively from other neighbors who were moving. Of course, they may have needed tuning service after they got them set up.

Why don’t you look through craigslist and e-bay (local-only) to find a piano for your son to practice on? Lots of people have pianos sitting and gathering dust.

Your son is very young and you don’t even know how long he will stick with this hobby. These items are heavy and require special handlers and larger trucks to move them in. Therefore, many people sell them instead of move them, if they are not used.

Better yet, just ask around your neighborhood. You would be surprised who has one that is not using it and would be willing to sell it. Then you won’t have to move it too far.

Two of my neighbors bought pianos for $200 and $400 respectively from other neighbors who were moving. Of course, they may have needed tuning service after they got them set up.

Why don’t you look through craigslist and e-bay (local-only) to find a piano for your son to practice on? Lots of people have pianos sitting and gathering dust.

Your son is very young and you don’t even know how long he will stick with this hobby. These items are heavy and require special handlers and larger trucks to move them in. Therefore, many people sell them instead of move them, if they are not used.

Better yet, just ask around your neighborhood. You would be surprised who has one that is not using it and would be willing to sell it. Then you won’t have to move it too far.

When my older son started Piano lessons 2.5 years ago we started with a keyboard. That was fine for the first 9-11 months. (It wasn’t a full size keyboard – that was the issue for us.)

When he showed some interest/talent (he’s not a prodigy but he’s good and he enjoys it)… we decided to buy a used piano.

We just scoured Craigslist and ended up buying a very nice upright from a person in Carmel Valley. $700, had recently been tuned, was in excellent condition. The previous owner had just upgraded to a grand piano… so this worked out for us. It was $125 to have it professionally moved.

Since then our younger son has started playing – so it gets lots of use.

We looked at new pianos but the prices were too high… We got a piano that sounds new, for 20% of the new price.

When my older son started Piano lessons 2.5 years ago we started with a keyboard. That was fine for the first 9-11 months. (It wasn’t a full size keyboard – that was the issue for us.)

When he showed some interest/talent (he’s not a prodigy but he’s good and he enjoys it)… we decided to buy a used piano.

We just scoured Craigslist and ended up buying a very nice upright from a person in Carmel Valley. $700, had recently been tuned, was in excellent condition. The previous owner had just upgraded to a grand piano… so this worked out for us. It was $125 to have it professionally moved.

Since then our younger son has started playing – so it gets lots of use.

We looked at new pianos but the prices were too high… We got a piano that sounds new, for 20% of the new price.

When my older son started Piano lessons 2.5 years ago we started with a keyboard. That was fine for the first 9-11 months. (It wasn’t a full size keyboard – that was the issue for us.)

When he showed some interest/talent (he’s not a prodigy but he’s good and he enjoys it)… we decided to buy a used piano.

We just scoured Craigslist and ended up buying a very nice upright from a person in Carmel Valley. $700, had recently been tuned, was in excellent condition. The previous owner had just upgraded to a grand piano… so this worked out for us. It was $125 to have it professionally moved.

Since then our younger son has started playing – so it gets lots of use.

We looked at new pianos but the prices were too high… We got a piano that sounds new, for 20% of the new price.

I’ve been playing piano for a long time. Personally, I would recommend getting a good keyboard instead of a piano. Buy a keyboard with weighted keys and full-set of keys. Unless you’re a audiophile or snob, you can’t tell the difference. It’ll be cheaper, more portable, and one can wear headphones if practicing at night.
Don’t worry about the cost of pianos going up in price every year. Pianos do not really appreciate in price, they get slightly worse overtime as it ages and gets worn down. A 200 year old Stradivarius violin still sounds amazing, but you will never see a concert pianist play an old, old piano.
If you’re looking into buying an used piano, make sure it’s not so crappy that it’s un-tunable.

I’ve been playing piano for a long time. Personally, I would recommend getting a good keyboard instead of a piano. Buy a keyboard with weighted keys and full-set of keys. Unless you’re a audiophile or snob, you can’t tell the difference. It’ll be cheaper, more portable, and one can wear headphones if practicing at night.
Don’t worry about the cost of pianos going up in price every year. Pianos do not really appreciate in price, they get slightly worse overtime as it ages and gets worn down. A 200 year old Stradivarius violin still sounds amazing, but you will never see a concert pianist play an old, old piano.
If you’re looking into buying an used piano, make sure it’s not so crappy that it’s un-tunable.